What the exam costs and how many times you can retake it
5 min read
Search for the price of this exam and you will find at least three different numbers, some of them out of date and some attached to the wrong route. So this article separates what is confirmed from what is contradictory — and where it is contradictory, we simply will not fill the gap with an invented figure.
The category route: the fee is confirmed
When you register through the e-services system of the agency that organises the exams (for a category certificate, usually for employment), the fee for the basic–first category (A1–A2 level) exam is:
| Year | Fee per attempt |
|---|---|
| 2025 | EUR 49 |
| 2026 | EUR 52 |
This figure is published in the e-services system and confirmed in the organiser's FAQ.
The fee buys an attempt, not a result. Every further sitting is paid separately. And mind the deadline: on the category route you must pay within 24 hours of your registration being confirmed, or it is cancelled.
The migration route: we are deliberately not printing a number
When you register through MIGRIS for a permanent residence permit or for citizenship, you do not pay that fee. You pay a state duty (valstybės rinkliava) whose rate is set by the Government. Paragraph 4.2 of the aprašas approved by nutarimas Nr. 1687 requires you to produce a document proving that the state duty of the amount set by the Government has been paid.
How much that is today, we will not publish, and there is a specific reason.
The exam organiser's website currently hosts two candidate leaflets stating different amounts of the duty. Both are current, both sit under the same upload path, and they contradict each other. Picking one of the two numbers would be a guess — and we are not going to guess about money you have to pay to the state.
What to do instead: check the exact amount and the payment details inside MIGRIS while you register — that is where you will see the sum that actually applies to you — or with the migration authority.
Note that the duty for the Constitution basics exam is separate from the duty for the language exam. Those are two payments, not one.
How many attempts you get
Migration route — unlimited, and this is in a binding instrument. Paragraph 8 of the aprašas approved by nutarimas Nr. 1687 provides that a person who receives a negative result has the right to sit the failed exam again, and that „Egzamino laikymo skaičius neribojamas." — the number of sittings is not limited. Each attempt is paid separately.
Category route — we do not know, so we will not claim. This route is governed by a different instrument, and we found neither a limit nor an explicit statement that there is none. Two consequences:
- do not plan a series of attempts in advance on the assumption that they are unlimited;
- ask the exam organiser before you register — it is one email.
What failing actually costs
Published pass rates run at about 73–76 % — roughly one candidate in four does not pass. The cost of failing is not only a second fee:
- waiting. Exams are held a few times a year on a schedule approved in advance, and registration for a given sitting closes 7 calendar days beforehand;
- knock-on deadlines. If the exam is needed for a permit, for an employment relationship or for a citizenship application, the delay lands in those procedures too;
- another whole day. Exam day is long: a morning at a computer and speaking in the afternoon.
Which is why the cheapest investment is not another attempt, but correctly understanding the marking rule and practising in the format the exam actually uses. That is what the exam tasks and the writing and speaking practice are for — and they are free.
What this article does not cover
- Whether the fee is refunded if you do not turn up — we found no publicly confirmed rule, so we state nothing; ask in the registration system.
- Discounts or exemptions from the fee — likewise, we make no claim.
Sources
- Exam levels, categories and fees — https://eksternams.nsa.smm.lt/exam-levels
- Registration procedure — https://eksternams.nsa.smm.lt/registration-procedure
- Frequently asked questions — https://www.nsa.smsm.lt/duk/lietuviu-kalbos-egzaminas-uzsienieciams/
- LRV nutarimas Nr. 1687 (§4.2 — the state duty; §8 — retakes) — https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.224295/asr
- MIGRIS — https://www.migracija.lt
Last verified: 12 August 2026.
„Lietuvių A2" is an independent exam-preparation website. We are not an examination centre and not a law firm; we are not affiliated with any institution that organises or recognises state language examinations, and we collect no exam fees. This text is for information only and is not legal advice. Always confirm the amount and the payment deadline in the registration system before you pay.